Xiaomi’s modern Smart TVs turn a regular screen into a powerful multimedia center, but embedded apps aren’t always able to play rare video formats or files from the local network without converting. Users often face the need to run a movie saved on a laptop hard drive on a large screen, and finding a solution to this problem can seem difficult due to the abundance of conflicting information.
There are several proven ways to connect between your PC and your TV, each with its own advantages depending on the quality of your home network and the resolution you want, and we will go into detail on wired and wireless connectivity, and we will also focus on setting up network protocols for stable data transfer.
In this article, you will find step-by-step instructions for Windows 10/11 and macOS that will help you enjoy content in 4K without delay and compression artifacts. Whether you are using the old Mi TV model or the latest Android TV 11 panel, the methods described will be relevant and effective.
Wireless streaming via Miracast and WiDi
The fastest way to display an image is to use the built-in wireless display technology, which does not require installing additional software on a Windows computer. Miracast (or Intel WiDi) technology allows you to transmit video stream and sound directly, creating a direct connection between devices.
To start, make sure your Xiaomi TV and computer are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, preferably at 5GHz to reduce latency. On the remote, click the app menu button and find the standard Wireless Screen or Cast app, then launch it and remember the name of the device that appears on the screen.
On a Windows 10 or 11 computer, press the Win + K key combination to open the connection bar, and select your Xiaomi TV from the list. If the system requests confirmation, go to the TV and allow the connection, after which the PC desktop is fully copied to the large screen.
- 📺 Press the “Menu” button on Xiaomi remote TV Select the source of the signal "Wireless Display".
- 💻 On PC, open "Parameters" → "System system" → "Projecting on this PC to check visibility settings.
- 🔗 Make sure Windows Firewall does not block incoming connections for the detection feature.
- ⚡ For games, use the "Second Screen Only" mode to reduce the load on the laptop graphics card.
⚠️ Note: When broadcasting via Miracast in high resolution (4K) audio and video may be out of sync if the router is far away or overloaded by other devices.
It's important to understand that this method creates a mirror image of the screen, so the resolution of the TV can automatically adjust to the resolution of the computer monitor, which sometimes leads to black bars around the edges. To watch movies in full screen mode, just deploy the player to the full screen, and the system itself optimizes the output of the image.
Broadcasting multimedia via DLNA and built-in media player
If your goal is to view video files, not duplicate desktops, then DLNA is the most energy-efficient solution, and unlike mirroring, the TV itself decodes the video stream, taking data from the computer as a network storage (NAS), which takes the load off the PC processor.
In Windows, you need to enable media streaming through the Control Panel. Go to Network and Internet → State → Shared Options and activate network discovery, as well as file and printer sharing for the current network.
Once the service is activated, find the movie folder, right-click it, select Show Devices or Transfer Media, and the system will prompt you to select the target device. Select your Xiaomi TV from the list, and it will access the contents of the folder.
On your TV, open the Media Player app (or Gallery depending on the Android TV version), go to the Video or Devices section where your computer should be displayed, and navigate the file structure of the folders using standard remote buttons.
Use of third-party server applications
Windows hardware sometimes doesn’t work well or support certain codecs, so experts recommend using specialized software to organize a media library, with Plex, Kodi and VLC Media Player taking over the transcoding and transfer work.
Install a server-side program (like Plex Media Server) on your computer and add movie folders to your library. The program automatically downloads covers, descriptions, and sorts content, creating a beautiful interface similar to Netflix.
On Xiaomi TV, download the relevant client application through the Google Play Store. Once logged in to one PC and TV account, you will access your media library from any device in the house.
| Annex | Difficulty setting up | Support for subtitles | Transcoding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plex | Medium | Great. | Automatic. |
| Kodi | Tall. | Complete. | Manual/Car |
| VLC | Low. | Basic | No. |
| Serveo | Low. | Depends on the file. | No. |
Using Kodi gives you maximum control over playback, allowing you to adjust frame rates and audio streams, but takes time to initially configure the interface. For users who want to get a click-and-play result, Plex Server + Plex for Android TV is the gold standard.
Wireless connection via HDMI cable
Despite the advancement of wireless technology, HDMI cable remains the most reliable way to transmit a signal without loss of quality and delay, which is ideal for viewing heavy 4K HDR files with high bitrates that can choke on Wi-Fi transmission.
Simply connect the HDMI output on your computer's graphics card to any free HDMI port on the back or side of your Xiaomi TV. Switch the signal source to your TV by pressing the Input button or rectangle icon with the arrow on the remote, and select the appropriate port number.
In Windows Display settings (Settings → System → Display), select Expand These Screens or Second Screen Only. In Expansion mode, the TV will be an extension of your desktop, allowing you to work on your PC while the movie is on TV.
⚠️ Attention: To transmit a signal 4K At 60 Hz, make sure to use a standard cable. HDMI 2.0 or higher (High Speed), otherwise the image may not be displayed or be limited to 30 frames per second.
When connected via HDMI, the sound will also automatically switch to the TV, but if this does not happen, right-click on the speaker in the tray, select Open Sound Settings, and set the Xiaomi TV by default.
☑️ Checking before connection HDMI
Broadcast from the Google Chrome browser
If the movie is on a site that doesn’t have Cast built-in support, or you want to show a presentation, you can use the streaming feature in Google Chrome.This method works on the Chromecast built-in technology that is built into most Xiaomi TVs.
Open the Chrome browser on your computer, make sure you're on the same Wi-Fi network as your TV. Click on the three dots in the top right corner of the menu and select Cast.
In the window that opens, select your Xiaomi TV. By default, only the browser tab is broadcast, but by clicking on Sources, you can select Translate the full screen or Translate the file to run the local video file directly through the browser.
This method is convenient because it does not require complex network configuration, but it can consume more computer processor resources, since it is the browser that encodes the video stream on the fly.
Solving buffering and quality problems
Even with the right setup, users may encounter twitching images or periodic stops to buffer, most often not in the Xiaomi TV, but in the wireless network bandwidth or router settings.
Check what frequency your Wi-Fi is running at. 2.4 GHz is heavily congested and rarely provides a stable speed higher. 20-30 Mbps, which is not enough for heavy 4K Turn the computer and the TV over to the network. 5 GHz.
Also worth paying attention to is the format of the video track: If your TV doesn't support a specific audio codec (like DTS in older models), the sound may be missing, although the video will go. In such cases, Plex or Kodi can transcode the sound on the fly, if the PC power allows.
- 📶 Restart your router if the network has been running slowly for several days.
- 📉 Reduce the bitrate of a video file if constant stops occur at 2.4 GHz.
- 💾 Use an external powered hard drive connected directly to USB TV port for the heaviest files.